Stakes high as Joe Schmidt faces biggest decisions of his career

August 31 is a date that has loomed large in Joe Schmidt’s thought process for some time now.

Monday next is the cut off point for the announcement of participating countries World Cup squads and Schmidt will stretch it to the limit before making his final deliberations.

At this stage, the vast majority of the major decisions have been made and he is down to an ‘either or’ situation in one or two positions. Getting those tight calls right could yet prove key. If he is still struggling with the various permutations, at least he can take solace from the fact he has more slots on offer than any of his predecessors.